Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 March 2021
438. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has considered altering the requirement for a person to register on the foreign births register before the next generation’s birth in order to avail of Irish citizenship (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13030/21]
View answerEntitlement to Irish citizenship is determined by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 (“the 1956 Act”), as amended, under which Irish citizenship may be obtained by birth, by descent, or by naturalisation.
The 1956 Act provides that great-grandchildren of Irish-born persons are not eligible for entry into the Foreign Births Register (FBR) unless their parents were entered onto the Register at the time of their birth. To change this, an amendment of the 1956 Act would be required.
The Department of Justice is responsible for citizenship matters. Any amendment to the 1956 Act is a matter for the Minister for Justice.
The Department of Foreign Affairs administers the FBR process and operates a clear and transparent general policy for processing FBR applications. In situations where the completion of registrations potentially impact on the rights of a person, it will consider urgent requests to expedite registered applications on a case by case basis. During Level 5 restrictions, applicants can make contact with the Passport Service through the WebChat service.
